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9 days in Hawaii

Hi everyone,
We have 9 days in Hawaii. My husband and I are a young couple that, we are pretty active. I'd love to hear your suggestions on which islands we should visit and what we should see.
thank you!

when are you coming? what do you want re active? do you want advice on hikes? try ziplining? scuba driving? do you snorkel, etc. what's your budget for tours / food /accommodations (do you want a hotel / motel / or place with a kitchen...are beaches important to you. more information would be helpful

We are flying in from NY. Really have 8 days and one evening on ground. We are flying in on April 23 at 6pm, into Honolulu. Will do a dinner and maybe (if not too jet-legged) check out the night life.

We plan to spend a few days seeing Honolulu, not sure how many days we will need. After we are thinking of going to Maui for a few days. We were considering another island, but from what I have read we do not have enough time for that.

We are into everything, want to immerse ourselves into Hawaii's nature and life. Our budget is open to experiences, the flight is long and we don't know how long till we revisit Hawaii.

I'd love to get an idea of the top things you would recommend to see on the islands, and entertainment recommendations.

Maui is nice, but your trip is not too far off, so you need to start looking and booking NOW. Also get your car rental lined up for Maui, I have used discounthawaiicarrental.com and last trip got a nice intermediate from Avis, second driver is free.
We rented a condo in Honokawai but I really liked the area around Napili. Other folks like South Maui.

I will now step back and let the Maui experts take over as it has been ten years since I was there last.

Hi! We're from NYC too. We just got back from Oahu from a 10 day trip. Do you know where you are staying yet? Here's what I recommend in Oahu:

- Snorkeling in Hanauma bay (go early before crowds)
- Hiking up Diamond Head or for more of a challenge, Koko head
- Pearl Harbor (you can book advance tickets online for 1.00 for the Arizona Memorial)
- Sunset drinks outdoors at the Halekulani
- Check out a farmer's market (KCC on Saturdays is popular)
- Dinner at Alan Wong's
- North shore - definitely a different world from Waikiki/Downtown honolulu, much more of a bohemian surfer vibe. I'd check out Sunset Beach to watch the surfers, Turtle Beach for, well, turtles, Waimea Valley for hiking, Haleiwa for shave ice at Aoki's or Matsumoto's, and if you like shrimp, there are a ton of shrimp trucks around. We liked Macky's and Romy's the best.
- Lanikai and Kailua beaches - beautiful beaches, perfect for kayaking too.
- And if you like water sports like surfing, paddle boarding, snorkeling, diving, there are numerous vendors which can provide lessons or chartered trips to specific spots.
- hmm, entertainment-wise, I have not done a luau, so I don't know what to recommend. But I've always liked people-watching in Waikiki at night - lots of shops, bars, and restaurants, to keep you entertained through the late hours of the night, although food-wise I prefer going outside of Waikiki.

You can do 2 islands in 9 days - I know plenty of people who have done it, but it does take up time to pack up, fly, rent a car, drive, unpack etc at a new destination. I'd recommend Maui or Kauai if you really want to experience another island as I think Big Island would be too much for a short amount of time.

Another thought is doing a split stay on Oahu. On this trip we spent 6 nights in Waikiki and 3 nights on the north shore. It was like going to a different world only 45 minutes away by car.

On Maui, there are a ton of things to do too. Road to Hana, Haleakala, I'ao needle, Upcountry, Ziplining, beautiful beaches, and fantastic scenery. I've spent two weeks there and still have a list of stuff I want to do. Anything specific? I wrote a trip report a few years back which may provide some info:

If you find the time to do the north shore drive (rent a car for this) on Oahu, be sure to have lunch at one of the shrimp trucks. That's always special for me. In my week visit I might do a shrimp truck a couple of times! It's so yummy and fresh!! (and messy )

And if you get fired up/find you have more wanderlust while staying in say Maui - you could easily fly to Big Island/Hilo early one day and visit the Volcano and drive around to Kona and fly back to Maui from there. Short- very scenic flights.

I would recommend three nights on Oahu and then on to Maui. You know: Here today - gone to Maui.

My advice is always: One week = One island. This is even more true for those of us coming from afar. (We fly out of Chicago.)

Your first day will be slow as you adjust to the time change. Don't book anything *special* the first night; you will be ready for bed early, and you'll be up before the sun the next day.

Every hop between islands can eat up almost half a day. Are your flights in and out of HNL? Do you have rental cars booked? You need a car everywhere in Hawaii outside of Honolulu.

I would stay on Oahu OR Maui, not both. The split between Waikiki and the north shore on Oahu is a great idea.

You'll be BACK! Part of the reason people come to Hawaii is to slow down to Island Time and soak in the Aloha. You could spend a month on Oahu OR Maui without being bored.

If you feel you MUST see a second island, you might take a daytrip to see Volcanoes National Park on Big Island -- flying in and out of HNL. You could also do this with Kauai; take a helicopter tour over that lush island.